Principal Software Engineer

Aramark; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision care

Job summary

Aramark is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead hands-on development and set architectural direction for AI-enabled product experiences across restaurant and hospitality markets.

You will shape engineering practices, govern AI frameworks, and mentor teams while collaborating with executives to invest in scalable, secure solutions. A startup mindset with enterprise impact is essential.

Qualifications

• Requires 10+ years of software engineering experience or 6+ with an advanced degree.
• Proven ability to set technical direction with broad impact beyond the team.
• Experience with AI/LLMs and modern engineering practices is a plus.
• Comfort guiding across legacy systems and modern cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on technical design and architecture for high-impact product experiences, including AI-powered features.
• Shape AI engineering practices, governance, testing, and model/tool selection standards.
• Guide technology roadmaps and advise executives on architecture and investments.
• Mentor engineers and drive adoption of reusable patterns and standards.

Skills

Cross-functional influence

Architectural leadership

Hands-on coding

Startup mindset

Executive communication

Problem solving

Security awareness

Education

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

GCP

AWS

Azure

Job description

Job Description

Our team is driving new and differentiated experiences in the restaurant & hospitality business, starting with our international markets, and we're moving fast. We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join as a hands-on builder, and recognized technical authority, someone who thrives on ambiguity, moves with a startup mindset, and resolves complex, cross-system technical problems to turn emerging technology, including AI, into real business impact fast. This role sets technical direction and engineering patterns that other Aramark technology teams adopt, and advises senior leaders on where and how to invest.

Job Responsibilities

1. Build & Ship Product Experiences

• Serve as hands-on technical lead and architect for the team's most complex, highest-impact product experiences for our restaurant & hospitality business, including AI-powered features where they're the right tool for the job.
• Take work from early prototype through validation to enterprise-scale production use, resolving complex, ambiguous problems that span multiple systems, teams, and markets.

2. Shape Aramark's AI Engineering Practices

• Serve as subject matter expert on Aramark's AI engineering framework, spanning testing and evaluation practices, human-in-the-loop patterns, and model/tool selection standards. Translate real, hands-on lessons into framework standards adopted across the technology function.
• Operate within Aramark's security, governance, and risk guardrails for AI systems, and advise technology, security, and risk leadership on how those guardrails need to evolve to keep up with real usage.
• Define and own reusable patterns, reference implementations, and standards for taking new technology from prototype to production and drive their adoption by engineering teams across Aramark.
• Work fluently across legacy on-prem systems, cloud-native platforms, and third-party point solutions, cutting through noise to find the fastest credible path to value.

3. Shape and Accelerate the Technology Roadmap

• Use modern tooling, including AI where it speeds things up, for this team and the partner teams you work with.
• Identify and prioritize the highest leverage opportunities to move core business metrics: growth, labor efficiency, and cost of goods, starting with our international markets.
• Advise the VP of AI Engineering, senior technology leaders, and business executives on architecture, build-vs-buy, and AI investment decisions with medium-to-long-term (1-3+ year) impact on the technology function.

4. Lead Cross-Functionally and Raise the Bar

• Partner with and influence other technology teams, contractor partners, operations, and marketing, leading through relationships and technical credibility rather than org-chart authority - resolving complex issues across significantly divergent audiences, from engineers to senior executives, and building buy-in through persuasion and tailored communication strategies.
• Mentor senior engineers and raise the technical bar across Aramark's engineering community through design reviews, technical forums, and coaching.
• Bring a startup mindset: spot the opportunity, prototype fast, prove value, and scale.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience (or 6+ with an advanced degree), including senior or lead technical roles, with hands-on experience building and scaling production systems; exposure to LLMs (APIs, agents, RAG, or similar) is a strong plus, not a hard requirement.
• A track record of resolving complex, ambiguous problems with broad organizational impact and shipping in fast-moving environments, including setting technical direction adopted beyond your own team. Startup experience or a strong "startup mindset" within a larger organization is a big plus.
• Recognized as a technical subject matter expert, with demonstrated through leadership (e.g., establishing engineering standards, architecture patterns, or practices adopted across an organization).
• Comfort operating across legacy and modern systems simultaneously, and the judgment to know where to invest effort for the fastest path to value.
• Strong cross-functional communication and influence skills, including a demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders and executives on significant technical matters and to persuade audiences unfamiliar with the subject matter. This role leads through relationships and technical credibility, not org-chart authority.
• Genuine curiosity about applying new technology, including AI, to the restaurant & hospitality industry. Prior domain experience in restaurant, hospitality, or retail operations is a plus but not required.
• Expert-level knowledge of at least one major hyperscaler (GCP, Azure, AWS, or similar), including architecting for scale, security, and cost.

Benefits

BENEFITS: Aramark offers comprehensive benefit programs and services for eligible employees including medical, dental, vision, and work/life resources. Additional benefits may include retirement savings plans like 401(k) and paid days off such as parental leave and disability coverage. Benefits vary by location and are subject to any legal requirements or limitations, employee eligibility status, and where the employee lives and/or works. For more information about Aramark benefits, click here Aramark Careers - Benefits & Compensation.

There is no predetermined application window for this position, the position will close once a qualified candidate is selected. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including, but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act, and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance to the extent that those laws apply to the opportunity.

About Aramark

Our Mission

Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.

At Aramark, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.

About Aramark

The people of Aramark proudly serve millions of guests every day through food and facilities in 15 countries around the world. Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. We believe a career should develop your talents, fuel your passions, and empower your professional growth. So, no matter what you're pursuing - a new challenge, a sense of belonging, or just a great place to work - our focus is helping you reach your full potential. Learn more about working here at http://www.aramarkcareers.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.